How to tackle household chores quickly this fall

Posted: October 6, 2012 - 12:01am

How to tackle household chores quickly this fall

(ARA) – Tips and tricks for speedy fall cleaning:

• Figure out who likes doing what best. If someone prefers to handle the yard work and the kids love polishing silver or unloading the dishwasher, divide it up so the act of doing chores doesn’t seem as tedious. Or, designate a family cleaning day and clarify who will be doing what and when.

• Pre-game. Before the big day, assign each person a room to prep so that once you attack with your gloves on and product in hand, you’re not wasting precious time and energy figuring out what goes in the junk drawer, what should be thrown out and what should be kept.

• Get the hardest part out of the way first. Medical professionals are taught to sanitize a room by starting with the dirtiest area and working toward the cleanest, and you should do the same. Tackle the most time-consuming areas (scum-soaked shower doors, greasy grills, or dirt and dust on top of fans) first and then work toward the less time-intensive ones.

• Create rewards or foster healthy competition with kids. For enterprising children, showing them how you can find silver “treasures” and polish them to sparkle is a great way to get kids involved. You can even make it a game by suggesting that the person who can get an old piece of silver the shiniest will be awarded a prize.